Thill-coupling.



No. 792,086. PATBNTED JUNE 1s, 1905.

J. D. TAM.

THILL GOUPLING.

APPLICATION IILED NOV. 16, 1904.

Witnesses [(z' b9 l, ctomegs Unirse rarns Patented June 13, 1905.

JOSEPH D. TAM, OF LIMA, OHIO.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. "792,086, dated June 13, 1905.

Application filed November 16, 1904. Serial No. 233,082.

.T0 all 'wh/ont it may cm2/007%:

Be it known that I, JosEPH D. TAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lima, in the county of Allen and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Thill-Ooupling, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to thill-couplings, and has for its object to provide an improved device of this character in the nature of an attachment capable of engagement with any ordinary thill-iron and also of engagement with the usual form of axle-clip now commonly employed with ordinary forms of thill-couplings.

It is furthermore designed to facilitate the application and removal of the coupling, to prevent rattling thereof, to prevent accidental disconnection of the coupling', and to per- Init ready detachment thereof whenever desired.

IVith these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accom panying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing' from the spirit or sacricing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying' drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of a thill-coupling embodying the features of the present invention. Fig. 9. is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan section on the line 3 3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the coupler removed.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each and every figure of the drawings.

Referring at first more particularly to Fig. 4 of the drawings, it will be noted that the present coupling is in the nature of a solid elongated or substantially elliptical link l, which is provided at its front end with a substantially semicircular socket 2, which is' closed at its ends by integral circular heads 3, which project in front of the socket and are provided with alined central openings 4. Upon the inner face of each head or ear 3 is a diametric beveled rib 5, disposed longitudinally of the coupling and divided into opposite sections by the opening 4. In the under side of the coupling-link, and in rear of the socket Q is a recess 6, the opposite walls of which are intersected by'upwardly and rearwardly inclined slots 7, which terminate at the top of the recess and at their lower ends are extended into upright branches 8, which intersect the bottom of the link and thereby produce a hook 9 at the rear end of the link. l IVithin the recess 6 is a bowed spring 10, which has its lower end secured to the forward bottom portion of the couplinglink, as indicated at 1l, with its rear free portion extending upwardly into the recess 6. The socket 2 at the front end ofthe coupling-link is designed to receive the eye l2 of an ordinary thill-iron 13, which is connected to the link by means of the usual bolt 14, the thill-iron being connected to the thill l5 by the usual form of fastening 16. To accommodate the eye l2 to the ribs 5, each end of the eye has a diametric groove or recess 17 filed therein or otherwise formed, so as to receive the ribs endwise therein when the eye is introduced into the socket 2, whereby the thill-iron is rigidly connected to the couplinglink. Afteracoupling-link has been connected to the thill-iron it is in turn connected to the front axle through the medium of an ordinary axle-clip 1 3, having the usual spaced ears 19, which are pierced by a removable bolt 20, which is received within the slotted portion 7 of the rear of the link, or, in other words, the hook 9 is engaged with the bolt 20 from the upper side thereof, the free end of the spring l0 bearing against the front side of the bolt, so as to prevent rattling of the coupling without materially interfering with Vvertical swinging movements thereof upon IOO ing backwardly far enough to prevent upward disengagement of the link from the bolt.

,lVhen engaging and disengaging the link with respect to the axle-clip, the thill is lowered to the ground, which movement swings the forward end of the link downwardly and brings the slot 7 into an upright position, whereupon the link may be lifted from the bolt 20, and tlliereby conveniently detached from the axlec 1p.

From the foregoing' description it will be noted that the link l constitutes a complete coupling member, as the thill-iron and the axleclip 18 are well-known parts now in common use and the link maybe applied thereto without material change to said members beyond forming the grooves 17 in the eye of the thilliron, which grooves may be readily tiled in the eye.

Having fully described the invention, what is claimed isl. A thill-coupling link having a socket in its frontend for the reception or' the eye of a thill-iron with the ends or' the socket provided with corresponding openings for the reception of a bolt, the under side of the link being intersected by an upwardly-inclined slot located in rear of the socket and forming a rear terminal hook for connection with the bolt or' an axle-clip.

2. A thill-coupling link having a socket in its forward end for the reception of the eye of a thill-iron, the opposite ends of the socket being provided with alined openings for the reception of a bolt and the inner faces of each head having substantially radial ribs thereon, the under side of the link being intersected by a transverse slot which is inclined upwardly and rearwardly in rear of the socket and forms a terminal hook.

3. A thill-coupling link having a substantially semicircular socket in its front end for the reception of the eye of a thill-iron with the sides of the link projected in front of the socket to form segmental heads which are centrall y pierced by corresponding bolt-openings, the inner face of each head being provided with substantially radial ribs disposed longitudinally of the link, the under side of the link being intersected by a transverse slot which is inclined rearwardly and upwardly and forms a rear terminal hook.

4. A thill-coupling link having a socket in the front end thereof for the reception of the eye of a thill-iron with the ends or' the socket pierced by corresponding openings, the under side of the link being intersected by a transverse slot which is inclined upwardly and rearwardly to form a terminal hook, and a spring having its forward end secured to the bottom of the link and its rear free end bowed upwardly into the front side of the slot.

5. A thill-coupling link comprising a substantially elliptical body having a substantially semicircular socket in its front end with the ends of the socket pierced by corresponding bolt-openings, and the inner faces of the heads being provided with substantially radial ribs disposed longitudinally of the body, there being a recess intersecting the bottom of the body and a transverse slot intersecting the recess and inclined upwardly and rearwardly to form a rear terminal hook, and a spring having its forward end secured to the underside of the link and its rear free portion extending upwardly into the recess across the front side of the slot.

6. The combination with an axle-clip having a pair of spaced ears and a cross-bar connecting the ears, oi' a thill-iron having a terminal eye, a coupling-link having its under side intersected by a transverse upwardly and rearwardly inclined slot receiving the crossbar of the axle-clip, the front end of the link being provided with a socket receiving the eye of the thill-iron, and a bolt piercing the ends of the socket and the eye.

7. The combination of an axle-clip having spaced ears and a cross-bar connecting the ears, and a thill-iron having an eye, of a coupling-link having its under side intersected by a transverse upwardly and rearwardly inclined slot receiving the cross-bar, the Afront of the link being provided with a socket receiving the eye oi' the thill-iron, a bolt piercing the ends of the socket and said eye, and a spring secured to the link and projected upwardly into the slot and bearing against the front side of the cross-bar to prevent rattling of the coupling.

8. The combination with an axle-clip having spaced ears and a cross-bar connecting the same, of a thill-iron having an eye provided at its opposite ends with substantially radial grooves, a coupling-link having a terminal hook engaging the cross-bar of the axle-clip and provided in its front end with a socket receiving the eye, the inner faces of the heads of the socket being provided with substantially radial ribs engaging the grooves of the thilliron, and a bolt piercing the heads of the socket and said eye.

In testimony that I claim the Jforegoing as my own I have hereto aiiixed my signature in the presence of witnesses.

JOSEPH D. TAM.

Nitnessesz WV. L. Roenes, P. M. DUNN, BRUCE Gesca.

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